Rose Garden
by KillamriX88
Summary: A repository for quick White Rose one-shots. Need a dose of cuteness? Romance? . . . Heartbreak? Check in, see what's in stock. For, hopefully eventually, all your Ruby and Weiss making kissy faces at each other needs.
1. Dear Yang

**Dear Yang**

They had just been assigned their team, or rather their team had become official. They'd sort of fallen together at random during their test in the forest. Ruby and Yang had split away from the commotion once they were free to do so.

"We're on a team now, Yang!" Ruby exclaimed as they walked by one of Beacon's decorative fountains.

"That we are." Yang nodded.

"And Weiss is on it!"

"Yes... yes she is," Yang replied with notably less enthusiasm.

"She was my partner in the forest, and she wasn't too happy at the time, but I did kind of explode on her, so that's OK. And she seemed a lot nicer once she got used to me!" Ruby began to ramble on as she sometimes did when she got excited. Yang took a deep breath in anticipation of further rambling. "And now that we're on the same team we'll be best of friends, and we'll talk about stuff, and we'll _do_ stuff, and we'll be the best Huntresses ever in the history of _ever!_ "

"Riiight, well, don't forget about the rest of us losers when you hit the top, 'kay?" Yang elbowed her sister playfully.

"You are free to ride on our coat-tails!" Ruby put her hands on her hips confidently.

"Hey!" Yang frowned. "Just 'cause you're leader doesn't mean you can get all cocky! What happened to normal knees, huh?"

"They got promoted."

 **. . . Shortly Thereafter . . .**

"Yaaaang!" Ruby rushed toward her sister, calling out her name. It was worth noting that it was not excitement that filled her voice.

"Oof!" Yang doubled over as Ruby crashed into her stomach, the smaller girl wrapping her arms around Yang's waist. "Wh-what's up?" Yang coughed.

"We're not best friends!" Ruby wailed, face buried in Yang's chest.

"Now I _know_ you don't mean me…" Yang had a feeling she knew exactly who Ruby meant.

"It's Weiss! She doesn't like me, she won't talk about stuff, and she doesn't think I'm a good leader!" Ruby whined. "I'm a failuuure!"

"I'mma kill her…" Yang's eye twitched angrily, a vein popping in her forehead.

"Yaaang, nooo!" Ruby croaked piteously. "I would be sad! I can't make Weiss like me if she's dead…" She sniffled loudly, making Yang worry about what might have been soaking into her shirt. "And you'd probably go to jail…"

"Fine…" Yang grumbled.

"Thank you."

"I'll only kill her a little."

"Yaaaaang…"

 **. . .** **Literally the Next Damn Day. . .**

Yang was alone when it happened. The door to their room burst open and Ruby swaggered in.

"Oh what now?" Yang groaned loudly, and then actually took a good look at her sister. "Aww, that's not good." Ruby looked blissful. Most big sisters would probably be happy to see that. Well, actually, a lot of big sisters probably couldn't stand their little sisters, but that was besides the point. The point being that Yang knew Ruby a little too well.

"Yang!" Ruby cheered and _flowed_ over to her big sister, cuddling up to her. "Ask me why I'm happy."

"I don't... I don't want to," Yang told Ruby, feeling quite uncomfortable.

"Yaaaang!" Ruby nuzzled her affectionately.

"Oh for... _fine_. Why are you... happy?" Yang tried to inch herself away, but Ruby was currently being quite tick-like.

"We're friends now! Me and Weiss! The dream is real!" Ruby gestured grandly, as if sweeping her hand over a brilliant, hopeful horizon.

"Oh... well that's good, yeah?" Yang twitched. Ruby was far too excited. It could only end in heartbreak when Weiss decided to be bitchy again. "What happened?"

"She made me coffee last night! She even put in as much sugar as I like!" Ruby giggled giddily.

"Wow... awesome." Yang forced a smile. _"Just be happy for her. Let her have her moment. Maybe it_ won't _all come crashing down in a fiery, horrible blaze of disappointment."_ She could dream, right?

"She promised to be the best teammate I'll ever have!" Ruby grinned.

"Huh?" Yang cocked an eyebrow. Weiss had said that? Weiss Schnee? Heiress to the Schnee Dust Corp? Ice Queen and mega-bitch extraordinaire?

"So hurry up and grab my coat-tails before it's too late!" Ruby sprung to her feet and twirled around.

"Ha-ha..." Yang shook her head. "By the way, I was thinking about getting some combat practice in. Wanna be my sparring partner?" She smirked. The, until-then, incredibly animated Ruby froze on the spot. "Coat-tails, huh?"

"Ehehehe..."

 **. . . About a Week Later. . .**

"Cool..." Yang said absentmindedly, trying to study for an upcoming test.

". . . and she doesn't insult me as much as she used to. . ." Ruby prattled on, though she was supposed to be studying as well.

"That's good." Yang flipped to the next page in her textbook.

". . . and since she's helping me with my homework, my grades are getting better. . ."

"Uhuh." So why wasn't she with Weiss now instead of _talking non-stop_ while Yang was trying to focus?

"And she's really good at singing, I mean have you heard her?" Ruby swayed back-and-forth happily.

"Y- wait, what?" Yang finally looked up from her work. She'd _tried_ , really she had, to listen when Ruby had first started, but it had soon become clear that she had no intention of _shutting up_ any time soon. The fact that it was about Weiss made her lose interest especially fast.

It seemed Weiss had been, so far at least, true to her word about being nicer to Ruby, so that had certainly improved Yang's opinion of her. However, she was still worthy of the moniker "Ice Queen." Yang just couldn't find it in herself to be buddy-buddy with the rich kid. She put up with her, as they were teammates and she didn't want to rock the boat, but that was about it. She was glad Ruby was doing better than her at getting along with Weiss, but she didn't need _every last detail._

"Weiss! Singing! _Amazing_..." Ruby practically swooned.

"You know who you sound like?" Yang turned in her chair to get a better look at Ruby. "Jaune. It's kinda creeping me out."

"Eh? Like Jaune?" Ruby titled her head. "Hmm... hehe..." A goofy smile spread on her face.

"Riiight, OK..." That wasn't strange at all. "I'm going back to studying."

 **. . . Literally the Next Day... Again. . .**

"YANG!" Ruby called out loudly as she rushed into their room. Yang was ready this time, hand shooting out. Ruby crashed face-first into Yang's palm and fell over backwards. "Owww! Yang! That hurt!"

"So does being tackled in the ribs!" Yang snapped in reply, but then sighed. "You OK?"

"Yeah..."

"So what's up, sis? Take a breath and spill it," Yang ordered. Ruby stood back up, taking a breath as she'd been told.

"I'm in love with Weiss!" she blurted out. Yang stared blankly back at Ruby for a moment, mentally confirming she'd heard that correctly. She decided had indeed heard that. Her hands went over her ears.

"Nope!" She turned away from Ruby.

"Wh- Yang! Listen!"

"Lalalalala!" Yang said loudly, drowning her sister out. Ruby soon jumped on her sister, legs going around her waist while her own, smaller hands pried at Yang's.

"Stop being a jerk, Yang!" Ruby finally got one of Yang's hands free. "I said _I'M IN LOVE WITH WEISS!_ "Yang winced at that, and then froze.

"K..."

"So... wh-what do I do?" Ruby asked, still attached to Yang.

"T-tell the truth?" Yang chuckled nervously. Ruby found her sister's behavior a little strange, but was more worried by what Yang had suggested.

"What? No way! I can't just go up to her and say I love her!" Ruby wailed helplessly. It would never work!

"Pretty sure you already did..."

"Wh-" Ruby's head snapped around to look at the doorway to their room. Weiss was standing in it. ". . ." Ruby swallowed hard and slid off of her sister. "Help m-"

"You're on your own, kid!"

"No! Yang!" But Yang was out of the room in a flash, leaving Ruby alone with the object of her affection. The very _scary_ object of her affection. "Please don't hurt me..."

"Sit." Weiss pointed sharply at her own bed, which out of their two beds was the one at ground level. Ruby hastily obeyed, sitting with her hands folded on her lap, waiting to see what would become of her.

Weiss walked over, standing in front of Ruby with her hands on her hips.

"So what? You _love_ me? I'm nice to you for a few days and then suddenly you think we're in love with each other?" Weiss asked her harshly.

"Err, n-no... I mean... I-I just know how _I_ feel, I... you..." Ruby bit her lip, hands clutching at her skirt. Why did Weiss have to yell at her? She wasn't even supposed to have heard how Ruby felt yet!

"And how _do_ you feel, hm? Do you even know?" Weiss interrogated her.

"Well... if love is too much... ummm... I know I like you... a lot." Ruby gulped and forced herself to continue. "You were really mean at first, b-but now that you're giving me a chance, I keep learning cool things about you... and... yeah."

"I see..." Weiss looked down her nose at Ruby before strutting over to the bed and sitting beside her. "And when you say you 'like' me, you mean...?"

"Err, m-more than just as a friend?"

"Right. You say that, but what do you want from me?" Weiss narrowed her eyes.

"Huh? N-nothing!" Ruby shook her head rapidly. "Err, well, I mean, I-I do want... err, b-but not money or anything! I mean like... hugs... and..."

"And?" Weiss leaned closer to Ruby.

"A-and... and... uhh..." Ruby's head felt like it was going to explode. There was no way she could say what was on her mind. Suddenly something touched her cheek. Something soft, and kind of warm. Something that was breathing.

"Was that what you were thinking?" Weiss asked, leaning back away from Ruby. Ruby realized that, without a doubt, Weiss had just kissed her cheek. She jerkily turned her head to look at Weiss who was smiling widely in amusement.

"Y-y-y. . ." Ruby jumped off the bed suddenly. "YAAAAANG!" Like her sister before her, Ruby shot out of the room. Weiss just laughed at the display. That had been wonderful.

She sighed and clutched at her cheeks before squealing in delight. "Ohhh, you're so cute! I could just _eat_ you!"

"Um..." Weiss froze at the sound of another voice. She looked up to see Blake standing there, glancing almost frantically back and forth. When it became clear no one was in the room besides them, she, with eyes wide, pointed questioningly at herself; a bead of sweat rolling down her face.

Weiss sighed loudly. "No, Blake, not you..."

* * *

 **I'd say they need to learn how to knock, but it _is_ their room.**

 **Also... _Yaaaaaaang._ Hehe...**

 **(Rubaby's Yaaang count: 11)**

* * *

 **Bonus:**

Weiss couldn't believe it. That ador-. . . _obnoxious_ pest, Ruby, had been named their leader. Oh, she'd been plenty willing to deal with the girl. Yes, she could have _survived_ being her teammate, but being placed beneath her? Unacceptable!

Every day that went by proved how inept the girl was! She was barely more than a child!

" _I'm a Schnee! A Schnee! This is ridiculous!"_

 **. . . Literally the Next Damn Day. . .**

Perhaps she'd been a little too harsh. Jumped to one too many conclusions. After all, Schnee or not, it might have been too early for her to assume she knew better than Professor Ozpin. And she did feel kind of bad for yelling at Ruby so much.

Well, last night she'd taken care of that.

" _Aaahhh, and she looked so happy when I said I'd be her best teammate ever!"_

 **. . . A Week and One Day Later. . .**

What? What, what, what? Love? _WHAT?_

"Sit." At her command, Ruby sat. "So what? You _love_ me? I'm nice to you for a few days and then suddenly you think we're in love with each other?" Weiss asked her harshly. _"Weiss... what are you doing?"_

"Err, n-no... I mean... I-I just know how _I_ feel, I... you..." Ruby bit her lip, hands clutching at her skirt.

"And how _do_ you feel, hm? Do you even know?" Weiss interrogated her. _"Weiss... stop..."_

"Well... if love is too much... ummm... I know I like you... a lot." Ruby gulped. "You were really mean at first, b-but now that you're giving me a chance, I keep learning cool things about you... and... yeah."

"I see..." Weiss looked down her nose at Ruby before strutting over to the bed and sitting beside her. "And when you say you 'like' me, you mean...?" _"She thinks I'm cool? That's not a pun, right? No, that would be Yang..."_

"Err, m-more than just as a friend?" Ruby was blushing so deeply.

"Right. You say that, but what do you want from me?" Weiss narrowed her eyes. _"Oh god... oh god that face..."_

"Huh? N-nothing!" Ruby shook her head rapidly. "Err, well, I mean, I-I do want... err, b-but not money or anything! I mean like... hugs... and..."

"And?" Weiss leaned closer to Ruby. _"Hugs..."_

"A-and... and... uhh..."

" _Oh for the love of dust!"_ Weiss placed her lips against Ruby's cheek. _"Yessssss!"_

* * *

 **Til' next time!**


	2. Wilting Rose

**If you only want super-romantic feel-good stories... skip this one.**

* * *

 **Wilting Rose**

Weiss had her back against a tree. The rough bark dug into her and caught on her dress, but that was the least of her worries. She pulled out her scroll and glanced at it. Her aura was below half. She pressed a button to pull up the rest of Team RWBY's auras. Blake: half, Yang: out of range, Ruby: error.

"Dammit..." Weiss hissed. She was so tired. She was glad that Blake was somewhere nearby, and alive, and she had faith in Yang's toughness to let her pull through, wherever she'd ended up, but the "error" had her worried. Did that mean Ruby's aura was entirely depleted? If she was just too far away, then she'd be like Yang. Was her scroll broken? But then, wouldn't it just assume she was out of range? "What the hell is 'error?'"

It took everything in her to not yell. And just how far away _was_ Yang that her scroll couldn't connect? First their gunship had been torn out of the sky, then they'd abandoned ship before it hit the ground, but they hadn't all managed to jump at the same time, and then they'd been running for hours. They weren't supposed to be there. Grimm were everywhere.

She had to try. If she was left alone, she was going to die. She knew she should call Blake. That was her best bet of meeting up with one of them. But...

"Come on, Ruby..." Weiss tried to contact her scroll. By some miracle it went through. "Ruby? Ruby?" She said as loudly as she dared. All that came back was garble, incoherent noise and static before the line went dead. "You're out there somewhere..." Weiss whispered. Ruby _had_ answered. She wasn't dead, so at least she could relax... for the moment. "Blake then."

The call was immediately canceled. Seconds later a short message popped up on the screen. _Hiding._

"Dammit!" Now what? No, it was obvious. She had to find Blake. If she was hiding, then there was something after her.

However, she soon realized that Blake would be on her own. She heard a loud, scraping noise and the tree at her back shook. She looked over her right shoulder and saw a set of huge claws gouging into the tree. A big, toothy snout peered around the tree.

She sidestepped to her left, hoping it hadn't seen her. It looked like it was just a beowolf, however large it might have been. If she could get behind it, quietly, she'd be OK. She looked to her left only to see red eyes looking back at her.

She'd been surrounded. Herded like an animal. The second beowolf swiped at her, but she parried it's claws and then darted forward, stabbing Myrtenaster through its neck. As it collapsed, she spun around, ready for the first, but already its huge, clawed hand was in motion.

She was slammed off her feet and skidded across the ground. She coughed. She knew her aura wouldn't save her from another hit, not one like that. The beast looming over her was bulky, twice the size of an average beowolf. That meant it was older and smarter, not just more powerful. Smart enough, at least, to have lain a trap for her.

A trap that she feared was about to be her end.

She lifted Myrtenaster and cycled through the cartridges. Red, empty, blue, empty. No time to reload. A glyph? Did she even have the strength left?

Her weapon was swatted aside and out of her hand. She cried out, clutching her arm. It was bleeding. Her aura truly was gone. She tried to scramble backward, pushing as hard as she could with her feet. She tried to buy as many seconds as she could, trying to leave room for a miracle or some genius idea that would save her.

No ideas came, but a miracle did.

The beowolf reached for her with claws that would rip right through her body. But suddenly its arm just flew from its body and rose petals flew everywhere. Ruby stood before her.

Her treasured cape was tattered, but she was there and fighting.

The beowolf reared back, lifting its remaining arm. Ruby sliced that one off in turn. She then aimed the barrel of Crescent Rose at the beast, but it suddenly lunged forward. Even with no arms, it was upon Ruby in a flash, huge jaws clamping down on Ruby's shoulder. The teeth didn't stop.

Weiss watched its fangs tear through cloth and into flesh. The next two things Weiss heard were a scream and a gunshot. The beowolf stumbled as a bullet blew through its stomach and it dropped Ruby who fell to the ground.

Weiss rolled onto her side, trying to crawl over to Ruby, but a growl halted her.

By some cruel twist, the beowolf wasn't dead yet. She looked up in time to see it stomp awkwardly over to Ruby.

"Ruby! Move!" Weiss begged. And move she did. She was far from dead too, it seemed. With a series of clicks, Crescent Rose began to shift into pure gun form.

The beowolf reached her first. It stomped upon her, and Weiss heard a tearing sound. The long claws on its feet gouged into Ruby's middle. It bared its fangs, its next bite wouldn't leave Ruby alive.

"STOP!" Weiss had nothing left, nothing but her empty weapon and her trembling body. An empty weapon that was doing no good in her hand. She threw it.

It did little more than bounce off the monster's head. It turned to glare at her, as if to say she was next. Its glare disappeared in a cloud of red as Ruby finally pulled the trigger and blew its head off.

Weiss then dragged herself over to Ruby, and now could see the blood pouring from her wounds.

"H-hey, Weiss. Don't worry... I got you..." Ruby chuckled weakly. "But, uh, thanks... for... the assist..."

"Shut up!" Weiss threw her hand over Ruby's mouth. "D-d-don't talk! Don't move!" She pulled her hand away, Ruby needed all the air she could get. But of course, she wouldn't listen.

"S-sorry... my scroll's all cracked and stuff." She coughed. "I didn't ignore you, I promise..."

"I know, I know. I-I've never even seen an error message on these things before. I'm sure it wasn't your fault. Now _shut up!_ Please!" Weiss pleaded, voice shaky.

"I-it hurts... Weiss..."

"I know..." Weiss felt herself crying. Her scroll beeped, but she ignored it. "I'm so sorry..." She felt it was her fault. There had to be something she could do... But what?

 **. . .**

When she'd gotten the full story, it was quite amazing. Weiss almost felt like she'd had it easy. Yang, it turned out, was the reason they were alive. Unable to find the rest of them, she'd decided to head to the crash-site. While mangled, the ship had had enough power to send a distress signal.

Dozens upon dozens of grimm later, she'd then managed to hunt them all down. The beep from her scroll had been Yang coming back in range of them.

Blake had apparently found _two_ deathstalkers and had been playing an ironic game of cat and mouse with them for three straight hours before managing to slip away. That was after defeating a few large ursai and before being found by Yang... who had also run into the same two deathstalkers.

"I'm afraid, and glad, that my tale isn't quite so exciting," Weiss said. "It was just a long battle of attrition that I ended up losing." Lots and lots of grimm and not enough of her to go around. "If I'd been better-"

"Don't worry, Weiss. If I got hurt saving you, it was worth it!" Ruby smiled. It was the best smile Weiss had ever seen. Ruby was still there. In the end, she'd managed to reload Myrtenaster and use the fire dust to seal up the larger of Ruby's injuries. She'd been afraid she'd been doing more harm than good.

Ruby had been brave, keeping herself from screaming despite the agony of being burned.

"What about you, sis? What had you so beat up before you saved the princess?" Yang asked.

"Um, everything?" Ruby laughed weakly. "I uh... the nevermore that took out the ship ended up chasing me. I guess... I dunno, maybe it's because my cloak was so red it saw me when I jumped. I was running from it and into all the _other_ grimm. Eventually I climbed a tree and when it flew by I cut its head off, just like the one from our test. Fortunately this one was a little smaller..."

"Still, big enough to rip the wing off of the gunship. Good job." Blake nodded.

"You're becoming a nevermore specialist, sis!" Yang grinned.

"Going through all that, and then..." Weiss took a deep breath. "I... I know we've already been over this, but you really are suited to be leader. I'm... I'm glad I ended up with you."

"Weeeiiisss!" Ruby pulled the covers of her hospital bed up over her chin.

"Ha! She's totally blushing!" Yang's cheeks puffed out as she held in further laughter.

At that moment, the door to the room burst open. Nearly a dozen people rushed in. Weiss, Yang, and Blake were accosted by some male nurses who pulled them to their feet and then tried to drag them out of the room. Yang looked ready to put their heads through a wall.

"There's no time to explain, but you all need to get out of the room!" a doctor shouted at them.

"Why?" Yang shrugged off the nurse who had grabbed her.

"NOW!" the doctor commanded and the nurse once again grabbed Yang. She struggled weakly, but allowed herself to be pulled from the room with the rest of them.

A minute later, Ruby was also wheeled out of the room. She was on a gurney, but for some reason she was covered by some sort of plastic shell with an air mask over her mouth.

"Ruby!" Blake had to grab Yang to keep her from getting in their way. "Wh-what's going on?" Yang looked about ready to break down.

"I... I don't know," was all Blake could say in reply.

"She was OK! We were talking to her! She was OK!" Yang grabbed her head, panting in a near panic.

"Calm down, they'll tell us soon." Weiss tried to act calm. On the inside, she wasn't much better than Yang, but losing her mind wouldn't help. "You're right, she looked fine, so I'm sure it's nothing serious..."

 **. . .**

The doctor finished speaking and none of them had a single word to say. Weiss had been so very, very wrong.

"S-say that again?" Blake's voice shook.

"No! I don't want to hear it!" Yang shouted, hands gripping her knees. They all sat with the doctor before them, a sympathetic look on his face.

Weiss swallowed hard. "Wh-what about me? I-I got hurt too. By the same one. I-I ran out of aura..."

"Yes. You're very lucky." The doctor sighed. "Do you have any other questions?"

"No..." Weiss said weakly.

"OK. If there's anything else, just have them call me. I'll come back as soon as I can." With that, the doctor left them. They were silent, all either processing or denying what they'd just heard.

Ruby had a rare disease that could be transmitted by grimm. Any time a grimm broke the skin, there was a slight chance. Ruby had been absolutely ravaged by the large beowolf, and she had it. There was no cure, and no chance of survival. She also had to be isolated or else anyone who got near her would be at risk of dying as well.

She was being kept in an airtight room with glass walls They had to talk to her through a speaker, though she was currently sedated. Apparently she hadn't taken the news well.

 _'If I'd been better-'_

 _'If I got hurt saving you, it was worth it!'_

 _"It's not worth it anymore... You're better, Ruby. If it has to be you or me..."_ Weiss buried her face in her palms. _"It should be me."_

 **. . .**

It was going to be a painfully long process. Over the course of a year, it would claim Ruby. So far, it had been two weeks. At first, they'd pretty much lived at the hospital with Ruby, but eventually they'd had to return to Beacon.

Currently, Weiss sat in front of a computer terminal, bleary eyed. She suddenly sympathized with Blake much more. She now knew just how painful obsession could be. She'd dug up every bit of information she could about Ruby's disease. It had been known about for a long time, and there were treatments that could slow it slightly, but nothing even resembling a cure.

It basically attacked the victims aura, rotting it away along with their body. They would become "grimm-like" and then die. In the past, it had been known as "Vanishing Syndrome" because, like grimm, after dying, the victim would dissolve into smoke and disappear.

As time went on, they would also exude more and more of a toxic "gas." Ironically, the disease would protect the victim from it, but anyone else, who was not "grimm-like," would die within hours. It was why Ruby was isolated. If the gas even _touched_ a person, they were doomed, and upon death would release even more of the toxin. Whole settlements had been wiped out by the disease in the past.

The only saving grace was that the toxin, whatever it was, was short lived and would disperse after an hour or two.

Weiss rubbed her eyes. They burned not just from lack of sleep but from crying. The first time she'd sat down to do her research, she'd broke down sobbing, having learned exactly what Ruby would go through. She'd learned nothing new, but the facts hurt no less as she went over them again.

She shut the terminal down, about to return to her room to sleep for an hour before classes, but then changed her mind. Maybe...

She headed to one of the call terminals, sending her call through to Atlas.

 _"Miss Schnee! What can I do for you?"_ the receptionist answered, of course.

"I need to speak to my father," Weiss spoke concisely.

 _"O-oh. Um, I-I think he's busy. Can I have him call you b-"_

"No."

 _"M-miss Schnee, I-"_

"Now!"

 _"Y-yes ma'am!"_

Minutes passed, but finally a new voice spoke.

 _"Weiss... I'm told you're quite upset about something."_

"Why would-"

 _"You shouted at my receptionist. I raised you to be far more composed. Such behavior is unseemly."_

"I..." Weiss didn't know what to say. So she just said what she needed to. "I-I need your help!"

 _". . ."_ She heard him sigh. _"Very well. What?"_

"Do we have, er, that is to say I've been busy, w-with my studies! Er, s-so, do-"

 _"Weiss. Just speak."_

"Does our company have any medical branches or something like that?"

 _"The Schnee_ Dust _Company tends to focus on technological and military projects. Medicine is not something we have our hands in."_

"Y-yes, but certainly with our influence-"

 _"Weiss... Why?"_

"Well, there's this disease. It's the one you get from grimm..."

 _"Weiss, are you all right?"_ She almost thought she heard worry in his voice.

"Yes. _I_ am..."

 _"Someone you know, then."_

"Yes..."

 _"Yes, I know of it. It's a very serious disease. Very little is spared when it comes to research on it. I don't know what you think_ I _can do about it."_

"Anything! I-if there's anything that _isn't_ being done... I... it's my fault this happened. I wasn't good enough!" She wasn't even trying to act proper anymore. She was blubbering, face in her hands, struggling to breath through her sobs. Admitting it to her father, with all his expectations, made her feel like a true failure. She was a _Schnee_ , she was supposed to be _better_ , and yet Ruby was fading away in pain because of her.

 _"I see. Very well. Since you're my daughter and it's a serious matter... consider this a gift. I'll do what I can. Now, if you don't mind, I'm very busy as it is."_

"Thank y-" The call ended before she could finish speaking. Even now he was cold, but how could she complain? He'd said yes.

 **. . .**

It had been a month. It had taken some time for Weiss to stop holding her breath, constantly waiting for any news, any _hope_. Of course they weren't going to come up with something in a week or two. Instead, she found another way to pass time.

"Wow, Weiss. You're here more than Yang!" Ruby was still so cheerful. "And that's saying something! I'm surprised she isn't competing with you."

"O-oh, well..." Weiss visited nearly every day. She would have made it _every_ day, but her responsibilities at Beacon kept her from doing so. "Um, a-as far as they know, I only visit when they do. They, uh, th-think I'm out shopping or something when I come alone."

"Why?"

"Well... It's hard for Yang, Ruby. You're right, she would compete with me. It would just make it worse for her..." _"And since I feel like I'm the only one who can actually do something about this..."_ No one knew about the call to her father. She didn't want them to have false hope or thank her. She didn't want praise or recognition for what, quite frankly little, she had done.

She just wanted Ruby alive.

"I-I guess so. I wish I could see all of you every day. That was, like, my favorite thing about going to Beacon. I got to share a room with all of you. It was fun, right?" Ruby laughed, though there was a hint of somberness to it.

"Yeah. I wouldn't have thought I'd like it... but..." She shook her head. "Don't even _think_ of repeating this, but I like who I am when I'm around all of you. A lot more than I like 'Weiss, Heiress of the Schnee Dust Company.'"

"Me too!" Ruby grinned. "I like you a lot, Weiss. No matter what, but especially when you relax a little!"

"R-Ruby!" Weiss crossed her arms, her face burning, and looked away.

"S-sorry... I-" A hacking cough snapped Weiss out of her blushing. She pressed against the glass, watching helplessly as Ruby writhed and coughed. She saw puffs of noxious, black smoke some from Ruby's mouth.

Ruby covered her mouth with one hand, and fumbled around with her other. She found a pair of switches and pressed them. First, Weiss could no longer hear Ruby, and next, curtains descended, blocking her view. The last thing she saw was Ruby turning away, onto her side.

"Ruby..." Weiss hit the glass in frustration. Even now, Ruby was just worrying about her, trying to hide how much she was hurting. She'd have rather watched. Ruby thought she was protecting Weiss, even now, but it still hurt. She didn't want Ruby to be alone. No matter how bad it was, Weiss wanted to share Ruby's pain.

 **. . .**

"Ruby... stop... I know you can hear me!" Weiss demanded. "Lift the curtains! And don't hide under the blankets either!" Nothing. "I saw you last time, dammit!"

"I-it got worse!" Ruby shouted back, sounding ashamed.

It had been five months now.

"I don't care!"

" _I_ care! I'm ugly!"

"Ruby, I have been standing here nearly every day for _months_! You do _not_ have to worry about that right now!" Weiss scolded her. After a few seconds, she heard the electronic whir of the curtains moving out of the way.

The first thing she saw was "the cloud." There was a perpetual haze in the room. With every breath Ruby took, she exhaled more of the black smoke. When she finally saw Ruby, she gasped. She fought to hide her shock and appear normal, not wanting to embarrass Ruby.

"I told you... I'm getting creepy... er..."

Due to exams, Weiss had been absent for three days. Only three days.

Ruby's pretty, silver eyes had become red, they'd been that way for a while now, but they'd changed again. They seemed to reflect the light and glow eerily, like a grimm. There was also a spiderweb of black lines going up and down her arms. The smoke seemed to slowly seep from her skin in those places. Also, her fingernails seemed to be turning thick and white, like bones. Her hair had also turned thick and wiry.

"Ruby..." Weiss took a deep breath. "Yes, you're _different_ , but you're still you. And being you, you're still cute, OK?"

"B-but-"

"OK!?" Weiss snapped. "It's not a short trip, so I have no time for your self-pity when I'm here!"

"Sorry..."

"Don't apologize, I'm here to cheer you up, not make you feel bad! So stop it!"

"Y-y-yes sir, ma'am, sir... Weiss..." Ruby fidgeted nervously.

"H-how do you, um, feel?" Weiss had to ask. Did it hurt?

"It's weird... I'm just kinda... restless..." Ruby suddenly reached for her arm, where there was an IV, and ripped it out. Within moments, she had pulled all the wires and tubes off of her body and jumped out of bed. "I can walk... and stuff."

"Ruby! Put those back! Dammit, it's not like someone can just-"

"It's OK. I can do it." Ruby mumbled. "The needles and stuff don't even hurt anymore." She jabbed her arm with her thickened thumbnail, breaking the skin. "I'm... numb all over..." A weak trickle of blood flowed from the wound, but there wasn't as much as there should have been, and the color was all wrong. It was too dark. And, of course, more of the accursed toxic smoke came from the wound.

"R-Ruby..." It was more than she could stand. She tried to wipe away the tears before Ruby saw them, but the act itself just made it obvious.

Ruby pressed her hand against the glass.

"Come on, Weiss. Just like in all the sappy movies! You do it too!" Ruby smiled.

"O-OK..." Weiss put her hand on the glass as well, opposite Ruby's. Ruby shut her eyes.

"If I think really hard, it's like I can really feel your hand. I can't really feel the glass anyway, you know? I'll just feel what I want to feel... it's kinda nice that way." While Ruby wasn't looking, Weiss put her other hand over her mouth to stifle her sobs, but quickly pulled it away when her eyes opened again. "Weiss?"

"Yes... Ruby?"

"You'd hold my hand if you could, right?"

"Of course!"

"That's good... Imagining your hand is really nice." She then quickly pulled her hand away. "Uh... um... i-is that weird?"

Weiss reached out, her hand bouncing off the glass. She'd wanted to pull Ruby's hand back to the glass, forgetting for a second how it infuriatingly separated them. "No. Imagine whatever you want - whatever you need."

"Um..."

"What?"

"N-n-nothing!" Ruby shook her head rapidly.

"Ruby, if I could, I'd stay in that room with you all night! The only reason I go home at night is because the chairs out here suck and they won't let me sleep in the hall anyway."

"W-Weiss, that's not helping!" Ruby screwed her eyes shut.

"What's not helping what?" Weiss tilted her head.

"Never... never mind..." Ruby mumbled. "I'm no good like this anyway..."

"I... don't understand."

"Good!" Ruby shouted and then sat back on her bed before putting all the tubes and wires back into place. "I do get kinda tired, though..."

"OK. Should I let you rest?"

"For a little while, please."

"All right. I'll be back in a little while. We'll talk again before I head back."

"Thank you, Weiss."

 **. . .**

"Daddy? Is there something?" Her father had called her. He wouldn't have if there wasn't important news. Nine months without hardly a word, and suddenly a call.

 _"Quite possibly. It turned out there were certain... directions not being explored. A number of experiments that were considered wastes of funding. It turns out one of those experiments was actually what they should have been doing all along. You were right to have me take action, Weiss. It a serious disease, and if there is a cure soon, it will be because of you. I'll be sure to give you credit-"_

"I don't care about credit! How soon?" Weiss shouted over him.

 _". . ."_ A sigh, as she might have expected. _"They_ do _think a cure is possible now. They'll have trials soon."_

"Yes, but _how_ soon?"

 _"Making the cure will likely take a little over a month, and there's no telling if it will work."_

"I... OK. Thank you for telling me."

 **. . .**

Nearly three more months. It had been just about a year. Yang seemed to be wasting away more than Ruby. Knowing that Ruby's end was drawing near was taking an immense emotional toll on Yang. Blake and Weiss had stayed up countless long nights trying to console her and keep her from completely falling apart.

Weiss stared at the case in her hand. Thanks to her father, she had the "cure" in her hands. But would it work? And how would she get it to Ruby? It was only an experimental treatment, there was no _official_ cure. Technically, she wasn't supposed to have it.

Ruby didn't have time, though. Proper trials and tests would take quite some time. She didn't know why they wouldn't just test it on Ruby. Either it would fail and she'd die, or it would work. She was dead for sure if they did nothing!

"What's that, Weiss? A present for Ruby?" Yang asked, sounding distant. All three of them were visiting.

"Something like that..." Weiss mumbled.

"Too bad we can't give it to her." Yang shuffled her feet. "She's not even awake today." For the last two months, it had become hard to say if Ruby would be conscious. She slipped in and out, seemingly at random.

The three of them simply stood there, quietly, staring through the glass. The doctor had pulled them aside when they'd arrived. Apparently the condition was worsening rapidly.

"Dammit! Why today?" Yang began pacing in circles. Blake caught her arm and pulled her into a hug.

Weiss bit her lip. The doctor had said there was a chance Ruby wouldn't wake up again. Worse, she might not last another day. Apparently they'd called Ruby and Yang's father and he was on his way as well. He'd visited a number of other times, usually along with Yang.

If only there was more time.

"I'll... be back in a few minutes." Weiss took a deep breath and hurried off.

 **. . .**

"Any change?" Weiss asked, finally back at Ruby's room.

"What happened to a few minutes?" Blake responded with her own question. In the end, she'd been gone for nearly two hours.

"No change... still... nothing." Yang was sitting, staring at the floor. "I... I just want to talk to her."

"I know. It's what we all want." Weiss took a deep breath. Then another. And another. Her hands tingled. Her heart raced. _"This is... so stupid..."_

She looked at the two girls in front of her. "St-stand up! Please!" Yang and Blake exchanged glances, but then did as they'd been asked. "I..." Weiss's voice became very small. Suddenly... she just had nothing. She produced and envelope suddenly and shoved it into Blake's hands.

She then took their hands, one in each of hers and held them tightly. She then pulled hard, sending them stumbling away from the room. She dashed past them to the door to Ruby's room.

There were a number of reasons she'd been gone for so long. She'd needed time to think. She'd also needed the key-card to open Ruby's room. She swiped it and opened the door, quickly shutting it behind her.

Yand and Blake rushed over to the door, but she'd already locked it.

"WEISS! WHAT THE HELL?" Blake shouted, voice muffled from the glass.

"IDIOT! I WILL SMASH THIS DAMN DOOR!" Yang backed up, cocking a fist back.

"No, you won't..." Weiss said. There was one more door. She drew Myrtenaster and stabbed a hole in the second door. Blake had to help Yang stop before she smashed the door, releasing the toxic smoke.

Already, Weiss could feel her skin burning.

She opened the now compromised inner door and made her way to Ruby's bedside. She opened the case and produced an injector, wasting no time and stabbing Ruby with it. She then took a second one and stabbed herself.

 _"Weiss... Just so you know, this cure does nothing for the toxic smoke."_

 _"Then... wouldn't it kill her anyway?"_

 _"No. In theory, the smoke will be gone before she loses her immunity to it. Of course, this is all theory. I don't know what you plan to do with this, but do_ not _enter the room."_

That had been her conversation with her father two days ago. She'd spent those two days attempting and failing to come up with a way to get it to Ruby safely. Not even robots were allowed in the room anymore for fear the toxins would escape as they went in or out.

"I hope you're wrong about that first part..." Weiss swallowed hard. But it didn't matter. She hadn't gone into the room expecting the cure to save her. She only cared about Ruby. "Please, Ruby. At least wake up..." She hit the switches, making sure the speakers were off and the curtains shut. If she was doing this, she wanted every second all to herself.

An hour later, and she was really feeling it. The cure had done nothing, not for her anyway. It hurt to breathe. Her chest was tight and burned fiercely. But already, she could see the black lines on Ruby's skin fading slightly. Her eyes were just a little less red.

 _"Then, no matter what... it was worth it, right? I can be happy..."_ Weiss wiped a relieved tear away. "Now... can you just wake up for me? Ruby? I-I saved _you_ this time, so... can you do that for me?" She sniffled. "I-I'm used to getting what I want, you know. I'm giving up quite a lot for this!"

Ten minutes more passed. She began to lose hope.

"C-come on... Ruby..." she whispered hoarsely. She reached out and shook Ruby. She expected nothing, but then time and time again, Ruby defied expectations. She should have known better than to underestimate her.

Ruby's eyelids twitched, and then she woke up.

"Finally!" Weiss snapped, causing Ruby to jump.

"GAH! WEISS?" Ruby's head snapped around to look at her. "W-w-wait... Oh my god, Weiss! Get out! It's bad if you're in here!"

"Don't be stupid! It's too late for that!" Weiss shouted. "Besides, it's fine. I cured you. Months ago, I had my father pull some strings. We got lucky and they just barely managed to make a cure before you died. You were pretty much out of time as of today."

"S-so... you're OK?"

"Of course! I'm not stupid enough to kill myself! I gave myself a dose!" She lifted up the second injector. "I'm _fine_."

Ruby squinted for a moment. "Oh... that's good..."

"Still having trouble seeing?" Weiss sighed. Ruby's vision had become terrible over the last few months.

"Yeah..." Ruby frowned. "B-but I can still tell it's you!"

"I should hope so, after all I've gone through!" Weiss crossed her arms. Talking and breathing like everything was fine was a monumental effort. Finally, it was too much. She coughed.

"W-Weiss?"

"Just because I gave myself the cure doesn't mean this stupid smoke doesn't hurt! I'm breathing in poison, you dolt!" Weiss scolded her.

"Oh. Right... Sorry about that..." Ruby pouted. "I-I should have just been faster, then..."

"Ruby, don't be ridiculous! It's fine in the end. Now we have a cure, after all." _"With any luck... I'll be the last victim... I guess... that's a pretty good way to look at it."_ But some grand achievement wasn't what she wanted.

She looked at her hand, and it was covered in blood. She could taste it too. "Ruby!"

"Y-yes, Weiss?"

"Close your eyes. We need to protect them while you're healing. If you're not careful, your vision might not come back. Once it's safe, I'll have them get you a mask to wear."

"Oh, right! Good idea!" Ruby shut her eyes quickly.

 _"I'm glad you trust me... I just wish I didn't have to abuse it."_ Weiss bit her lip, letting herself cry, though she made sure to do it silently. "Hey, uh. You wanted to hold my hand, right? I... I know everything is OK now, but... there's a lot to make up for, right?"

"Oh, uh, you don't have to." Ruby turned her head away.

"Well, what if I want to?" Weiss argued. _"I want to do a lot of things, but at least let me do this! You're the last person I'm going to get close to!"_

Rather than answer her, Ruby just immediately began groping around until she found Weiss's hand, gripping it tightly.

"C-can you feel me?" Weiss asked, face turning red.

"Um... kinda? Everything tingles a lot, and I feel really hot, almost like I'm on fire or something. But I can tell I'm grabbing something for sure. But, I know it's you, for real this time, so I'm happy."

"Me too..." Weiss said. _"Why hold back now?"_

Suddenly Ruby pulled Weiss close and she felt Ruby's other hand touch her face.

"Found you!" Ruby said and then Weiss felt her lips on her cheek.

"Wh-wh-what was that?"

"I love you, Weiss! You're my hero!" Ruby giggled. "The hero deserves a kiss!"

"Idiot..." Weiss mumbled.

"You must love me too, huh?" Ruby laughed, she was so happy. "I can't wait! I wanna go back to Beacon right now! I'd even pay attention in Port's class at least once or twice!"

"I guess it seems like that, huh? I am putting up with quite a bit, aren't I?" Weiss sighed contently. _"You have no idea... Looking at you now... what kind of kiss do I really want? But... it doesn't matter. I want to be selfish, but... I can't do that to you. You actually have to go on after this."_

"When can I see Yang and Blake?" Ruby asked.

 _"Dammit, Ruby. Give me_ my _turn!"_ Weiss forced herself to smile, so that she'd sound right when she spoke. "Soon. In an hour or two the smoke will all be gone and it'll be safe for them. Until then, pay attention to your hero, hm?"

"OK! Whatever you want!" Ruby nodded.

 _". . . I really do love you, don't I?"_ Her chest ached, and it had nothing to do with the poison in her body.

"Um, what if _I_ want something, though?"

"Like?"

"W-well, holding hands is nice, but... A hug is like a full-body hand-holding, right?" Ruby asked shyly.

"You want a _hug_?" Weiss asked incredulously. On the outside, she acted like she was dealing with a spoiled child. On the inside, she couldn't believe that such a request could be so heartrendingly torturous.

"Y-you-" Ruby was cut off when Weiss leaned over and put her arms around Ruby. "Oh..."

"Anything else, Ruby?" _"While I still have time... whatever_ you _want."_

"No... U-unless..."

"Unless?"

"Can... I..." Ruby swallowed hard. "K-k-k-..."

"Can you what?"

"K-k-kiss!" Ruby squeaked out.

"Oh, I suppose." Weiss exaggerated a sigh. _"Ruby... even now... you still manage to piss me off!"_ She wanted to cry, but steeled herself. She maneuvered her face so that she could plant a kiss on Ruby's cheek. "You're very needy, you know."

"Oh..." Ruby seemed disappointed. "I-I mean, s-sorry!"

"It's fine. Forget what I've been through on your account, you've been through even more. A lot of lost time. You deserve to be greedy."

"Well, then, wh-what I really want-" Weiss was pretty sure she knew what Ruby was going to say.

"Ruby..." Weiss scolded. _"I can't give you that kind of kiss! I... can't put you through that. I wish you didn't want it. It's just as bad for me..."_

Weiss felt her stomach churn. She pulled away from Ruby quickly, coughing again. More blood. She got up and staggered over to the sink in the room. She spat up blood, lots of it. She looked up, into the mirror over the sink. Her eyes were bloodshot. Her tears were turning pink, mixed with blood. There was a small trickle of it come out of her ear.

" _. . . out of time. But I wanted more!"_ She took a shuddering breath. "Ruby, listen carefully."

"Yes, Weiss!"

"I have to go now. I need to rest for a while. It's going to be quite some time before the cure really kicks in for me. I'm very tired after being in here for so long."

"Oh. OK."

"I really wanted to stay with you until it was safe for everyone else... but... I can't. I'm sorry. I'm... very sorry." Her voice was losing its strength. She couldn't keep up the act much longer.

"What? It's OK, Weiss. I've been alone for so long... you being in here with me was like a, no, it _was_ a dream come true. I imagined it happening so many times..." Ruby told her. "And now I only have to be alone for a little longer, and then everyone else can come see me too!"

"Yes. You're right..." Weiss swallowed, doing her best to stand up straight.

"Before you go..." Ruby paused. "Um. I'm wondering, b-because of what you said. A-about loving me...?"

"Oh, that." Weiss stopped to take a breath. "Do you really have to ask? I wouldn't do this for just anyone!" She then rushed toward the door.

"W-Weiss?"

"Ruby... Y-yes, I love you, OK?" Weiss's voice shook as she spoke. She'd hit her limit. She tore the damaged door open and stepped into the small airlock room. She pulled out Myternaster and set it to the blue setting. She froze the hole in the door shut and then hit a switch on the wall. A fan activated and sucked any of the toxic gas out of the room. She looked around, and decided it seemed safe. She let herself out.

"Weiss! Oh my god..." Blake stared at her.

"W-Weiss? What did you do?" Yang seemed on the verge of a total mental breakdown.

"Yang. Ruby is going to be fine. I had my father found a cure. As it so happens, it worked. I would have told you ahead of time... but I wasn't sure it would work."

"You stupid, reckless..." Yang clenched her fists. "Dammit, come here!" Yang rushed forward, arms outstretched.

"Yang, no!" Weiss held a hand up to stop her, stepping back. "Don't get my blood on you, I don't know what's going to happen!"

"Huh?" Yang stopped, eyes wide and confused.

"Weiss, you're scaring me. You said you had a cure!" Blake wrapped her arms around herself.

"It... it was only for the disease itself. The... gas is something else." Weiss swallowed hard and clenched her eyes shut. "I... don't have much longer. But I had to save Ruby..."

Blake gasped and her hands went over her mouth.

"No! Why? Now I lose someone anyway!" Yang shouted at her. "You're even dumber than I thought!"

"But you still have your sister! This... this is better for everyone! She's worth more than I am! There's a reason she was picked to be leader instead of me!"

"But, Weiss! I don't want you to die! Wh-" Blake was now openly sobbing.

" _Huh... I wouldn't have seen that coming a while ago... Sorry, Blake..."_ Weiss shook her head. "This is what I wanted to do. The dying part I could have done without, but..."

Yang walked over and put her hand on Weiss's shoulder.

"Yang! I sa-"

"There's no blood on your shoulder. And I'm not letting you go out all alone like some sad, tragic hero!" Yang insisted. "Right now, you're still here with us."

"OK... but... be careful. When I die there's going to be more of that damn smoke. My blood'll probably be dangerous when that happens..." Weiss told them.

"Noted. Now stop acting all tough! That's my job, and I'm doing really bad at it right now!" Yang growled through grit teeth, tears flowing like rivers from her eyes.

Weiss sniffled and nodded, letting herself cry freely. "B-Blake? C-can you..."

"Yeah... I'm here..." Blake grabbed her other arm.

"Thank you..." Weiss took a breath. "I-I'm so sorry... Ruby doesn't know. I-I... don't tell her until she's strong enough, OK?"

"Dammit, you jerk..." Yang hiccuped. "Yeah, all right. I'll wait as long as I can..."

" _I get it, Ruby. Holding hands. Hugs. Kisses. A hug would be really nice right now. It's not fair..."_ Soon, she'd have to be isolated, just like Ruby had been. _"But... I got to see you wake up. Maybe I should have asked for more?"_

She'd gotten her wish, though.

" _Best teammate ever, right?"_

* * *

 **Dammit. I think I have the virus... my eyes are burning...**

* * *

 **Bonus:**

 _Dear Weiss,_

 _You told me once that you liked who you were when you were with us. It's weird, I almost wish that wasn't the case. I feel like maybe "Weiss Schnee, Heiress" would still be alive. But I guess either way we wouldn't be together._

 _I was really angry when I found out. I took a huge fit, like a big baby. I almost didn't go to your funeral, but Yang told me I'd regret not going, so don't worry, I was there. I bet you'd be worried that your family would have been mean to me or something, but Yang and Blake were there to protect me, and nothing happened anyway._

 _In fact, your sister talked to me and she was actually kind of nice. She told me no one was mad at me. Yang thinks she's hoping I'll sort of carry on your legacy or something. You know, make something of myself. I'll try._

 _I guess I was mostly angry at you. You lied to me._

 _Sorry about all the erase marks. I had to rewrite this part a lot. I'm not mad anymore, though. Have I ever told you about my Uncle Qrow? Not much, right? I think you saw him one of the times he visited me. He was on his best behavior though, so I don't think you really got a good idea of how he is._

 _He likes to mess around a lot and he drinks too much. The point is, you wouldn't expect it, but he's the one who finally got through to me. I think he must have been extra drunk, because he was being a little mean, but he finally told me that I was being the jerk. I'm sorry Weiss, I shouldn't have been so mad._

 _I still wish you hadn't lied to me but I get it now. When you were sitting there with me, after being alone for so long, it was like I was already better. It's a really good memory, one of the best I have of you._

 _I love you, Weiss. I just wish I could have said goodbye._

 _I said it at the funeral, so I won't say it again here. And I'll be back anyway._

 _Ruby_

Ruby placed the folded up pieces of paper on the grave marker before her. It was tall and extravagant, as one would expect for a Schnee.

"You're right. I should have done this sooner. I just feels kinda pointless writing a letter to someone who's... not here." Ruby wiped her eyes. She hadn't visited since the funeral over a year ago.

"Nah. You did it for you." Her sister put a hand on her shoulder. "Besides, maybe she _can_ read it."

"Yeah." Ruby nodded. She did feel a lot better. She'd been holding way too much inside. "Um, do you think she really loved me?"

"It's not even a question."

* * *

 **Now that I've broken your minds and your spirits...**

* * *

 **Bonus 2:**

Ruby groaned and cracked her eyes open. She was surrounded by familiar faces. Her team.

"Ugh. Tell me that was all a dream..." Ruby moaned weakly.

"Sorry, sis. It happened. But hey! You're better now!" Yang grinned down at her, patting her on the shoulder.

"You had us all worried for a while there." Blake nodded.

"Yeah. A whole year." Ruby let out a long sigh. A whole year wasted sitting in a hospital room. She lifted up her hand and looked at it. "Ew..." Her nails were still thick and nasty.

"Don't worry, that'll go away," Yang assured her. "Your eyes are already back to normal!"

"Eh? How long was I asleep after..." Her head snapped around, left then right. "Wait! Where's Weiss?" She saw that there was also a doctor in the room and looked at him desperately.

"Well, you see... the cure didn't neutralize the toxic gas, so she-" The doctor didn't get to finish.

"What? No! Weiss said... W-Weiss said... NO!" She screamed, flailing and crying. She buried her face in her head and heaved with each sob that wracked her.

For a moment Yang and Blake could only stare in disbelief at the doctor. Finally, Yang snapped out of it and rushed to Ruby's side.

"Ruby!" She tried to hold her sister still, but Ruby pulled away. "Ruby, listen!" Still Ruby was inconsolable in her grief. "Hey, you idiot, she's just sleeping!"

Ruby froze and quickly looked at Yang. "Bwuh?"

"Yeah. What you didn't let him finish saying was that at the last second or something the cure kicked in. I guess after the disease progressed far enough it reached a point where the cure recognized it or something." Yang looked at the doctor. "Err, right?"

"In simple terms... yes." The man nodded.

Ruby simply sat there quietly for a few seconds, taking in the information. She then began tearing at the tubes and wires taped to her body.

"Whoa! Ruby, no!" Blake rushed over to the other side of the bed to try and hold her still.

"I need to see-" And then Ruby stopped, eye twitching. "Oooowwww! It hurts again!" she whined as the pain hit her. Apparently the numbness had also gone away.

"That's... good?" Yang chuckled nervously.

"Wh-whatever!" Ruby shouted, rubbing her arms sorely where she'd ripped the tape off. "Just take me to Weiss! I don't care if she's sleeping, I'll wait until she wakes up! Give me a wheelchair or I'm just gonna use my semblance to run through the whole hospital til' I find her."

"As amusing as that would be, she's just in the next room over..." Blake pointed to her right.

 **. . .**

Apparently life after death was just dreaming, Weiss had learned. Of course, suddenly her dreams had ended and now she was just bored.

 _"Ugh, hurry up and just start dreaming again. If I spend eternity like this I'm going to go insane..."_ Worse was the maddening feeling that she could open her eyes, but surely that was impossible. Right? Well, it was worth a shot.

 _"Oh no... I'm in hell. It's a hospital. It has to be hell. Am I going to have to relive Ruby dying over and over again? No!"_

"Weiss!" A voice that sounded like Ruby's shouted into her ear.

"No! Go away, don't talk to me!" Weiss demanded, turning away.

"Wh-why?" Ruby whimpered.

"You can't fool me, demon! I'm dead! Just leave me alone!" Weiss refused to look. "OW!" Someone had pinched her toe!

"Chill, princess. You're fine. Your cure worked on you too." Now Yang was there.

"Yeah. You're pretty lively for a dead person! So you can't be dead!" Ruby told her.

"I'd take the win, personally," Blake suggested from beside Yang.

"B-but... it... really?" Weiss managed to sit up and looked around. Everything certainly looked and felt real.

"Yeah. By the way, what was in that letter you gave me?" Blake had to ask.

"Letter? Oh! N-nothing... just... everything one might need to destroy my family and put my father in jail." Weiss cleared her throat. "But, um, I-I'll worry about that myself now that I'm not dead."

"Wow, really?" Blake shook her head. "Now I'm not sure I want to give it back." She smirked.

Suddenly Ruby crawled into her bed next to her. "U-um, Ruby?"

"You saved me!" Ruby threw her arms around Weiss, pulling her close and clinging to her, cheek to cheek.

"N-now th-th-this is h-hardly necessary!"

"I'm never letting go!"

"B-but-"

"I love you, Weiss!"

"L-l-l-l-l-l-let go!"

"But I looove you!"

* * *

 **They say to this day, Ruby still hangs from Weiss's neck.**

 **You can pick whichever bonus ending you like to be the real one. Gee, I wonder which it'll be? Golly me oh my, I can't even imagine.**

 **Or we can go with multiverse theory, but who the f- likes multiverse theory?**

 **Til' next time.**


End file.
